The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-01-27

morning TO look upon the plateau below her.
1t seemed to illustrate the conviction that
had leen slowly shaping itself out OF her re-
f]ections ON the conversation of that morning.
1t was possible that the perfect understanding
of higher life was only reached from a
height still greater, and that to those half
way up the mountain the summit was never
rs truthfully revealed as to the humber,
jewellers in the valley.
lido not know that these profound truths
prevented her from gathering some quaint
ferns and berries, or from keeping her calm
gray eyes open to certain practical changes
that were taking place around her. She had
noticed singular thickening i'll the atmos-
phere that seemed to prevent the passage of
the SUMS rays, yet without diminishing the
transparent quality of the air. The distant
snow peaks We're as plainly seen, though they
appeared as if in moonlight This seemed
due to no cloud or mist, but rather to fad
ing of the sun itself The occasional furry
of wings overhead, the whirling of larger
birds in the cover, and a frequent rustling i'm
the. underground, as of the passage of some
stealtlly animal, began equally to attract her
attention. 1t was Sc. different from the ha-
bitual silence of these sctlate solitudes Kate
had no vague fear Of wild beasts; Sue had
been long enough a mountainecr to Under
stand the general immunity enjoyed by the
unmolesting wayfarcr, and kept her way I'M
dismayed. She was descending an abrupt
trail when sho was stopped by sudden crash
INF tn l,.,ct, 30 Al
opposite incline, directly in line with her,
and apparently on tho very trail that she
was pursuing. The crash was then repeated
again and again lower down, as of descend
Ing body. Expecting the apparition of some
fallen tree, or detached bowlder bursting
through the thicket, in its way to the bottom
of the gulch, she waited. rho foliage was
suddenly brushed aside, and largo grizzly
bear half rolled, half wuidied, into the trail
on tho opposite side of tho bill. A few mo-
incnts more would have brought them face
to face at the foot of the gulch; when she
stopped there were not fifty yards between
them.
She did not scream; she did not faint; she
was not even frightened. There did not seem
to be anything terrifying IN this huge, stupid
beast, who, arrested by the rustic of stone
displaced by her descending feet, rose slowly
on his launches and gazed at her with small,
wondering eyes. Nor did it seem strange TO
her, seeing that ho was in her way, to pick up
q stone, throw it in his direction and say SIM
ply, "Sho! get away!" as she would have done
to all intruding COW. Nor did 1t seem odd
that he should actually Ego away" as he did,
scrambling back into the bushes again and
disappearing like some grotcsque figure in a
Transformation scene. 1t was not until after
he had gone that she was taken with q slight
nervousness and giddincss, and rctraced her
steps somewhat hurrieGly, sbying little at
every rustic in the thicket. BY the time she
had reached the great gateway she was
doubtful whether to be pleased or frightened
at tho incident, but she concluded TO keep it
to herself. i
1t was still intensely cold. The light of>the
midday sun had decreased still more and on
reaching the plateau again she saw that
dark cloud, not unlike the precursor of
thunder storm, was brooding over the snowy
peaks beyond. In spite of the cold this sin
guar suggestion of summer phenomena was
still borne out by the distant smiling valley,
and even in the soft grasses at her feet. 1t
seemed to her the browning inconsistency of
the climate, and with half serious. half
playful protest on, her lips she hurried for
ward to seek the shelter of the house.